Scaevola plant named ‘Bonsc 16100’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Scaevola  plant named ‘Bonsc 16100’, characterized by its relatively compact and mounding to outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; early and freely flowering habit; long flowering period; flowers that are deep reddish purple in color; and good container and garden performance.

Botanical designation: Scaevola aemula.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BONSC 16100’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR/APPLICANT & ASSIGNEE

The Inventor/Applicant and Assignee, Bonza Botanicals Pty. Ltd. ofYellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, assert that no publications noradvertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distributionoccurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of thisapplication. Any information about the claimed plant would have beenobtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from theInventor/Applicant and/or the Assignee. Inventor/Applicant and Assigneeclaim a prior art exemption under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosureand/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior tothe effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Scaevolaplant, botanically known as Scaevola aemula and hereinafter referred toby the name ‘Bonsc 16100’.

The new Scaevola plant a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the Inventor in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new compact, moundingScaevola plants with numerous attractive flowers.

The new Scaevola plant originated from an open-pollination in YellowRock, New South Wales, Australia in December, 2015 of a proprietaryselection of Scaevola aemula identified by the code number 14-174, notpatented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unidentifiedproprietary selection of Scaevola aemula, as the male, or pollen,parent. The new Scaevola plant was discovered and selected by theInventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of thestated open-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in YellowRock, New South Wales, Australia in December, 2016.

Asexual reproduction of the new Scaevola plant by vegetative tipcuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, NewSouth Wales, Australia since December, 2016 has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Scaevola plant are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Scaevola have not been observed under all possiblecombinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. Thephenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditionssuch as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variancein genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Bonsc 16100’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Bonsc 16100’ as a new and distinct Scaevolaplant:

-   -   1. Relatively compact and mounding to outwardly spreading plant        habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit.    -   3. Early and freely flowering habit.    -   4. Long flowering period.    -   5. Flowers that are deep reddish purple in color.    -   6. Good container and garden performance.

Plants of the new Scaevola can be compared to plants of the femaleparent selection. Plants of the new Scaevola differ primarily fromplants of the female parent selection in flower color as plants of thenew Scaevola have deep reddish purple-colored flowers whereas plants ofthe female parent selection have deep blue-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Scaevola can be compared to plants of the Scaevolaaemula ‘Bonsca 1430’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,820. Inside-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Scaevola differ from plantsof the ‘Bonsca 1430’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Scaevola are more compact than plants of        ‘Bonsca 1430’.    -   2. Plants of the new Scaevola are have thicker lateral branches        with shorter internodes than plants of ‘Bonsca 1430’.    -   3. Plants of the new Scaevola are more freely flowering than        plants of ‘Bonsca 1430’.    -   4. Plants of the new Scaevola and ‘Bonsca 1430’ differ in flower        color as flowers of plants of the new Scaevola are deep reddish        purple in color whereas flowers of plants of ‘Bonsca 1430’ are        deep violet in color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Scaevola plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Scaevola plant.

The photograph at the top of the photographic sheet (FIG. 1 ) is a sideperspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Bonsc 16100’ grown ina container.

The photograph at the bottom of the photographic sheet (FIG. 2 ) is aclose-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Bonsc 16100’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurementsand values describe plants grown during the summer in 24-cm containersin an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under culturalpractices typical of commercial Scaevola production. During theproduction of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 30° C.and night temperatures ranged from 13° C. to 25° C. Plants were threemonths old when the photographs and the detailed description were taken.In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Scaevola aemula ‘Bonsc 16100’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Scaevola            aemula identified as code number 14-174, not patented.        -   Male or pollen parent.—Unidentified proprietary selection of            Scaevola aemula, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—By vegetative tip cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at            temperatures about 21° C. to 25° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 15 days at            temperatures about 18° C. to 21° C.        -   Time to develop roots, summer.—About three weeks at            temperatures about 21° C. to 25° C.        -   Time to develop roots, winter.—About four weeks at            temperatures about 18° C. to 21° C.        -   Root description.—Fibrous; typically white in color, actual            color of the roots is dependent on substrate composition,            water quality, fertilizer type and formulation, substrate            temperature and physiological age of roots.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Relatively compact and mounding to            outwardly speading plant habit; vigorous growth habit.        -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit with lateral            branches potentially forming at every node; pinching            enhances branching potential.        -   Plant height.—About 23 cm.        -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 50 cm.-   Lateral branch description:    -   -   Length.—About 19.4 cm.        -   Diameter.—About 3.1 mm.        -   Internode length.—About 2.2 cm.        -   Aspect.—Upright to outwardly.        -   Texture.—Sparsely pubescent; rough.        -   Color.—Close to 139B.-   Leaf description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple; sessile.        -   Length.—About 4.9 cm.        -   Width.—About 2.3 cm.        -   Shape.—Spatulate.        -   Apex.—Acute.        -   Base.—Attenuate.        -   Margin.—Entire with few incisions.        -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Sparsely pubescent;            rough.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate, reticulate.        -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 139A.            Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 138A. Fully            expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to NN137A; venation,            close to 138B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close            to NN137C; venation, close to 138B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and shape.—Zygomorphic, semi-circular,            fan-shaped flowers with five petals fused at the base to            form a tubular flower throat; flower throat open along the            upper surface exposing the reproductive organs.        -   Flower arrangement and quantity.—Solitary sessile flowers            arising from upper leaf axils; flowers mostly horizontal;            freely flowering habit with typically about 15 flowers per            lateral branch and about 2,550 flowers developing during the            flowering season.        -   Flowering time.—Early flowering habit, plants begin            flowering after about three to four weeks after planting;            long flower period, plants flower continuously from spring            into autumn in Japan.        -   Flower longevity.—Flowers typically last about a week on the            plant; flowers not persistent.        -   Fragrance.—None detected.        -   Flower buds.—Length: About 1.6 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm.            Shape: Lenticular. Color: Close to 76B.        -   Flowers.—Diameter: About 2.2 cm by 2.25 cm. Depth: About            1.2 cm. Throat diameter: About 4.3 mm. Tube length: About            1.1 cm. Tube diameter, mid-section: About 2.9 mm. Tube            diameter, proximally: About 2.6 mm.        -   Petals.—Quantity per flower: Five, fused at base. Length,            beyond tube: About 9.6 mm. Width, beyond tube: About 3.3 mm.            Shape: Oblanceolate. Apex: Cuspidate. Margin: Entire; not            undulate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,            glabrous; velvety. Texture, throat: Pubescent; velvety.            Texture, tube: Pubescent; velvety. Color: When opening,            upper surface: Close to N75D. When opening, lower surface:            Close to 76B. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 77A;            towards the center, close to NN155B; color does not change            with subsequent development. Fully opened, lower surface:            Close to N81B; midrib, close to 76D; color does not change            with subsequent development. Throat, distally: Close to            142D; venation, close to 79B. Throat, proximally: Close to            N144B; venation, close to 79B. Tube: Close to N144A;            venation, close to 79A. Sepals: Quantity per flower: Two,            opposite. Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1.7 mm. Shape:            Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin: Entire.            Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper            and lower surfaces: Close to NN137A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen quantity per flower:            Five. Filament length: About 2.3 mm. Filament color: Close            to 145C. Anther size: About 0.5 mm by 1.3 mm. Anther shape:            Ellipsoidal. Anther color: Close to 175A. Pollen: Moderate.            Pollen color: Close to 157D. Gynoecium: Pistil quantity per            flower: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Style color: Close            to 144B tinged with close to N77A; hairs, close to N77A.            Stigma color: Close to 155A. Ovary color: Close to 144D.        -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit development have            not been observed on plants of the new Scaevola.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Scaevola have been observed to    have good garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind and    temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 40° C.-   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Scaevola have    not been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to    Scaevola plants.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Scaevola plant named ‘Bonsc 16100’as illustrated and described.